Love Takes No Side
by Fire The Canon
Summary: Sometimes, the heart doesn't know the difference between good and evil. Sometimes, the heart is hard to control. Written for Lady Phoenix Fore Rose's "The Ultimate Boredome Solver Challenge".


**_Written for Lady Phoenix Fire Rose's "The Ultimate Boredom Solver Challenge". _**

**Characters: Katie Bell and Sanguini**

**Prompt: Lace**

**Setting: Battle field.**

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**Love Takes No Side**

I stared the Death Eater down. I wasn't going to be killed. I was _not_ going to die tonight. I had been there as I watched many others fall. I had watched my friends go down. But it wasn't going to be me tonight. I'd fight for them; for all the lives that had already been lost and the ones that would still be lost.

That was why I was still I alive and ready to face this Death Eater. I had determination to live.

"Stupefy!" I screamed, pointing my wand at the faceless Death Eater. He or she flew backwards, crashing against a wall. I didn't wait around to find out if they were still alive, or not. I didn't care. They could have been the one who killed Leanne.

Instead, I ran. I ran as fast as I could. I passed Angelina and the Weasley twins, engaged in a battle with four more Death Eaters. A small voice inside my head told me to stop and help them, but would that mean someone else could die further ahead – someone who needed my help more?

I had known those three for years. I knew they were all capable of defending themselves.

I kept running.

There was Harry Potter and his two friends, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. They had done so much for all of us. They deserved my help, but they were okay, too. There wasn't much I could do for them.

"Are you okay?" I screamed at the three of them. It was almost impossible to hear anything anymore. There was too much fighting going on.

Harry gave me the thumbs up and I took that to mean he was alright. So I ran some more.

Maybe I should have stayed to help them, because as I turned a corner into one of Hogwarts' many corridors, I knew I was in trouble. That promise I had made to my friends who were no longer alive... how could I keep such a promise when I was a single witch, face to face with four Death Eaters?

A year out of Hogwarts, what chance did I have against four wizards who knew more than I and also knew Dark Magic? I had a wand; they had four. I was dead. I knew I was.

I didn't want to die, but as I stood there, facing them – facing my death – I accepted it. Obviously fate had me dying at this moment. Who was I to resist that?

I braced myself, waiting for the two words I knew would end me. I had seen it enough these past few hours. I knew what would happen. I just hoped it would be painless. If death hurt, then all I could think of was my poor friend, Leanne. Why had she suffered?

The Death Eater pointed his wand at me. He was a good five feet away, but it made no difference. He'd kill me anyway.

My eyes closed tightly. I couldn't watch this.

"Avada Ke – "

"Stop!"

I didn't dare open my eyes; I didn't dare blink. I knew that voice. I'd heard it before. I half expected it to be Harry Potter coming to my rescue. Maybe even Fred or George, or someone else I knew.

But as I opened one eye and then the other, I realised where I knew that voice. Of course... but surely I was dreaming. Or maybe I was dead. Maybe I was in heaven. That had to be it, because standing in front of me, his hand clasped tightly around the wand arm of my would-be murderer, was Sanguini.

The _vampire_, Sanguini. The one I had met at Professor Slughorn's Christmas party over a year ago. But why was he here? And why had he just saved me?

He had made it clear, then, that he didn't want anything to do with me. Maybe it had been the three Butterbeers and one Firewhisky talking, but I confessed my undying love for him. Up until this moment, I believed it _had_ been the drinks. A vampire, for goodness sake!

But there he stood in front of me, had saved me from death and he looked just as I remembered him. Pale, thin and... beautiful. This time I couldn't blame it on Butterbeer. This time, it was all me.

"Don't touch her," he growled at the Death Eater. "This one's mine."

I shivered. What did he mean by that?

A malicious grin appeared on the Death Eater's face. "Very well, Sanguini," he said. "You'd probably do a better job than I would anyway."

Another chill ran through me. _He won't hurt you_, I told myself. I tried not to think about his words after Slughorn's party.

_What possible feelings could I have for a seventeen year old girl?_

His eyes looked into mine. There was something pleasant; something that warned me not to be afraid. So why did I run? The Death Eater's laughter at my fear soon disappeared, mixing with cries as people threw spell after spell at one another. I didn't even know where I was going. I just had to get away. I had to keep fighting.

Seeing some vampire I had once had a thing for had not been in my plans. Saving as many people as I could was my priority. My _only_ priority.

"Kay-tee."

My heart pounded against my chest as I ran faster. I ducked a spell coming my way, ignoring a cry of apology from some small Hufflepuff. Sanguini didn't even seem affected by the magic. He continued chasing me.

_I won't die, I won't die_, I kept telling myself. He was not going to kill me.

And then two cold hands clasped my shoulders. He turned me around, his face inches from mine. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't. I couldn't do anything but stare back at him. He had beautiful eyes, but that was not what I should have been thinking about.

"Kay-tee," he said again. I could feel his breath on my face. "You are Kay-tee, yes?"

"Y-yes," I answered shakily. I tried to escape his hold, but I wasn't strong enough. My legs were trembling. Maybe death was better. "Don't kill me," I begged. "Please."

"I won't kill you, Kay-tee. Never."

I tried to hide my relief, but he saw it. He smiled. It was a crooked smile, but it wasn't ugly. Rather pleasant, actually. He let go of me.

"Th-thank you," I said.

His cold hands brushed over my face and found a cut I didn't even know was there. Then a horrifying thought came over me and I tried to run again. I knew what vampires ate.

"Kay-tee," he called after me. "Please listen to me. I won't hurt you."

Why was he able to catch up to me so fast? I was a Chaser, for crying out loud. I was supposed to quick.

"Get away from me!" I screamed. I pointed my wand at him. Was I really going to try and kill him? He hadn't hurt me yet. You-Know-Who killed people for no reason, not me. I wasn't a killer.

_And neither is he_, that voice in my head told me. I lowered my wand.

"You're fighting for _him_," I stated, ignoring three students who ran past, glancing back in fear at the vampire in front of me.

Sanguini shook his head. "No. I fight for you, Kay-tee."

My heart skipped a beat. No, this was not supposed to be happening. He was a vampire.

"N-no, you don't. You're on _his_ side."

"I won't let him hurt you, Kay-tee. Let's talk."

"Talk?" I gaped at him. Did he not realise there was a war going on? Did he not see people dying every minute? Innocent people?

Sanguini nodded. "Please."

I wanted to run again. I wanted nothing more than to leave him and continue helping my friends fight in this raging battle. But my feet had other ideas. They stayed firmly planted on the ground. My eyes wouldn't leave his. And my hand allowed him to take it and lead me to an empty classroom.

He closed the door.

What the _hell_ was I doing? Hiding? My friends were dead or dying and here I was, locked away in a classroom with a bloody vampire. I was such a coward.

"I haven't stopped thinking about you, Kay-tee," he said to me, his voice soft. "Not since we met."

I shivered as his hands traced my jaw line.

"That-that was such a long time ago, now," I stammered. "I've moved on."

That was such a lie and he knew it.

"I haven't," he said.

His mouth moved closer to mine and if I didn't want him to kiss me so badly, I would have thought he just wanted to taste my blood. But he had had many chances to do that (no one would have looked twice in a war) and he hadn't.

"You're _old_!" I exclaimed, but I didn't retreat.

He chuckled. "Old."

And then his cold lips were on mine. My head screamed at me to pull away; to go and help the others. But every other part of me wanted to stay. I had wanted this for so long. I had dreamed of it.

To most, it didn't make sense. He was old and he was a vampire. But the heart wants what the heart wants.

That's what I told myself as I kissed him back. There was no point in fighting it. I had tried and I couldn't. Here he was, kissing me. It was what I wanted.

Eventually – breathless – I pulled away. My heart was hammering against my chest, my lungs heaving for air. He tasted so sweet. His scent was overpowering. I wanted nothing more than to throw myself at him, but even I realised now was not the time.

"He'd have you killed if he found us," I stated half-heartedly.

Sanguini shook his head, his cold breath in my ear. "He will not," he whispered. "I fight for you, Kay-tee. Not him."

I was about to argue, but there was a commotion on the other side of the door. I froze, too scared to do anything. My wand was still in my hand and I shakily pointed it at the door.

"S-s-stupefy," I mumbled as another Death Eater appeared before us. I knew this one. Her name was Bellatrix Lestrange.

Lestrange's laughter filled my ears as she watched the few harmless sparks leave the tip of my wand. What had Sanguini done to me? I couldn't even do a simple spell anymore.

"After a snack, are we, Sanguini?" Lestrange screeched in delight.

Sanguini hissed at her. I jumped away. Lestrange pointed her wand at me.

"Avada Kedavra!" she screamed.

I saw the green sparks. It was like it all happened in slow motion. For the second time in half an hour, I was staring death in the face. Lestrange's Killing Curse was right there and the next moment, I was on the floor, nursing a sore wrist.

I looked up. Sanguini had taken the curse. He was writhing in pain, but he wasn't dead. Could vampires even die?

Bellatrix Lestrange screeched with anger. "How dare you protect that filthy half-blood!" she cried. "How dare – " she was given no time to continue. I didn't dare attack her, but my magic was still strong enough to close the door in her face. I heard it lock and another raging scream from the Death Eater.

But obviously I wasn't important enough to go after. It was just me and Sanguini again. I crawled over to him, ignoring the shooting pain coming from my wrist.

"Are you okay?" I sobbed.

He sat up. "Yes."

"Why did you do that?" I asked.

"Because you would have died, Kay-tee. I couldn't bear seeing you die."

"You could have died, too," I retorted.

"No. I love you, Kay-tee."

I forgot to breathe for a few seconds.

"I will not fight anymore," he continued. "Not for him, not for anyone. Except for you."

I blinked, then I looked at him. His eyes didn't leave mine. He stared at me and I couldn't help it. I shook my head. "I won't fight, either," I told him.

Guilt burned inside of me. What about all my friends out there, risking their lives every second? I should have been helping, but I wasn't going to let him take another curse for me, either.

My friends were capable of winning this. They didn't need me.

"Do you love me, Kay-tee?"

"Yes." I didn't even hesitate. There was no point thinking about it. I loved him, why should I deny it?

"I'm glad, because I – " but whatever it was he was going to say, I never got to hear. There was a series of loud explosions from the other side of the door and before we knew it, we were covered in dust.

The classroom had caved in.

"Kay-tee!" I heard Sanguini shout over the noise. "Kay-tee."

"I'm... here," I choked. I squinted, trying to find him, but I couldn't see a thing. He found me, though. It appeared dust didn't affect vampires, either.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yes." I pointed my wand somewhere (I couldn't see anything) and cleared the dust. I breathed, looking around. A tapestry which had been above us had now been blown apart. Parts of it floated around, but that was all that remained.

A small part landed between us. Sanguini took it in his thin hands, turning it around. I watched him. It was a piece of lace.

"They use this to make wedding dresses, yes?" he asked me.

I watched him curiously. "Um... yes," I said.

"We should get married, Kay-tee."

My jaw dropped. There we were, in the middle of a war, we hadn't seen each other in over a year and he was proposing marriage. I couldn't help but think his timing wasn't very appropriate.

"I... what?"

"Married," Sanguini repeated.

_To a vampire? _I opened my mouth to give him an answer, but another explosion interrupted me. We'd have to get through this war first.

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_**That would have to be the strangest pairing I have ever written, but oddly, I found it quite easy. I hope you enjoyed it. I tried not to make it so Twilight-ish. I hope I succeeded.**_

**_Please don't leave without giving a review. I'd really appreciate it._**


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